medical records Archives | First Healthcare Compliance

The Do’s and Don’ts of Designing an Aging Physician Policy

Catherine Short speaks with Dr. Mary Hoppa, MD, MBA, senior consultant with The Greeley Company which provides solutions through consulting, education, interim staffing, credentialing management, and external peer review to healthcare organizations nationwide, about “The Do’s and Don'ts of Designing an Aging Physician Policy.” We will discuss how to identify and address competency issues among senior physicians and best practices to prevent potential safety incidents that could have long-term consequences for both patients and practitioner. We will also learn how to recognize age related impairments that affect a healthcare professional’s ability to safely administer care, look at how to design a fair aging policy to protect both practitioners and patients, as well as focusing in on how to address competency issues and when privileging needs to be reassessed or revoked.

By Catherine Short|July 13th, 2020|Company Culture, Employee Zone, Ethics, Human Resources, medical records, performance evaluations, PHI, Podcasts, Protected health information|

Upholding HIPAA OCR Compliance & Streamlining Patient Access to Medical Data

Catherine Short speaks with Cristin Gardner, Director of Consumer Products & Markets at Life Image a healthcare network for exchanging clinical and operational information including medical images, about “Upholding HIPAA OCR Compliance & Streamlining Patient Access to Medical Data.” Digital innovation is transforming healthcare. The federal government has recently made significant pushes to make healthcare

By Catherine Short|September 19th, 2019|HHS, HIPAA, HIPAA Zone, HITECH, Imaging, medical records, OCR, Podcasts, Protected health information|

Meaningful Use Ends In 2016?

Due to the challenges of implementing Meaningful Use, it is unsurprising the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) is finally rethinking the plan. The goal of Meaningful Use (MU) to achieve nationwide electronic health record (EHR) interoperability and ultimately improve overall healthcare remains intact. Until further details and a formal announcement, certain steps will

By First Healthcare Compliance Staff|January 26th, 2016|1st Healthcare Compliance, CMS, EHR, EHR interoperability, HIPAA Privacy Rule, Meaningful Use, medical records, PHI, Uncategorized|

Individual’s Rights to Access PHI

An individual’s right to access their protected health information (PHI) should be nothing new to covered entities. In 1996, HIPAA Privacy Rule detailed an individual’s right to access PHI. As part of HITECH and the Final Omnibus Rule, modifications to the Privacy Rule have included additional requirements for covered entities and business associates. Unfortunately, recent

By First Healthcare Compliance Staff|January 13th, 2016|1st Healthcare Compliance, ACA, access, Affordable Care Act, Breach, Business Associate, Covered Entity, HHS, HIPAA, HIPAA Zone, medical records, OCR, PHI, Protected health information, Uncategorized|

Deadline for Breach Reporting Coming Soon

As the end of the year approaches, keep in mind that all breaches of unsecured protected health information involving less than 500 individuals must be reported to the Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within 60 days of the end of the calendar year. If the organization already reported a breach

Are your mobile devices HIPAA compliant?

As the world of healthcare evolves, more and more healthcare providers are turning to mobile devices in their practice. If you are a covered entity, you are responsible for complying with HIPAA regulations for securing private patient information, including when using mobile devices. Here are some guidelines to ensure security while using mobile devices: Before

By Katelyn Byrne, BSN, RN|June 25th, 2015|1st Healthcare Compliance, Healthcare, HIPAA, HIPAA Zone, HITECH, medical records, mobile security, security breach, text messaging, Uncategorized|

How would your staff react to an auditor or investigator?

Audits and investigations are stressful events either with or without prior notice. Medical staff should be prepared for an unannounced visit. First Healthcare Compliance provides a sample policy that assists clients in preparing the front office. Here are some recommendations to ensure that proper steps are taken: Immediately contact your supervisor, manager and/or Compliance Officer

By Katelyn Byrne, BSN, RN|June 10th, 2015|1st Healthcare Compliance, Audit Zone, Employee Zone, Fraud, Healthcare, HIPAA Zone, medical records, Medicare, OCR, OIG, OSHA, Quarterly Zone, Uncategorized, Waste|

Are you trying to prevent medical identity theft?

Medical identity theft continues to be major problem in the US with approximately 2.32 million adults or close family members falling victim in 2014. According to the Fifth Annual Study on Medical Identity Theft by the Ponemon Institute, medical identity theft is on the rise with a 21.7% increase since last year.

By First Healthcare Compliance Staff|April 15th, 2015|1st Healthcare Compliance, ACA, Affordable Care Act, Data Collection, EHR, Fraud, Healthcare, HIPAA, HIPAA Zone, medical identity theft, medical records, security breach, Security Zone, Uncategorized, Vendor Zone|

What Should You Do After Discovering a Billing Error?

Just correct the problem and you will be compliant? No, but this is the first step in the right direction. According to the HHS in “A Roadmap for New Physicians – Avoiding Medicare and Medicaid Fraud and Abuse,” the following steps should be taken: Immediately cease filing the problematic bills Seek knowledgeable legal counsel Determine

By First Healthcare Compliance Staff|September 10th, 2014|1st Healthcare Compliance, Abuse, Audit Zone, CMS, Fraud, medical records, Medicare, Medicare Rules, OIG, self-disclosure|

Does A Patient Own Their Imaging?

The answer is no. So who does? Healthcare providers and health plans are the owners of medical records. With respect to the imaging portion of the record, the facility creating the image has ownership. However, patients have the right to access their information, obtain copies and request for an amendment to the record. This amendment

By First Healthcare Compliance Staff|June 11th, 2014|1st Healthcare Compliance, HIPAA Zone, Imaging, medical records|

Anne Elkin, EsquirePractice Manager, Boothwyn Medical Associates
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Healthcare Management System
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